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Paula Deen’s Weight Loss: How the Popular Chef Lost Over 35 lbs
By clearing her kitchen shelf of white pasta, potatoes, and bread, this famous chef managed to cool off 35 lbs. Here’s all about Paula Deen’s weight loss.
When Paula Deen caught herself in a myriad of problems, including getting diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and being a part of various controversies, one might have thought she would not be able to turn things around for her. But given the dedicated woman she is, she managed to lead a healthier and happier life, despite facing various issues. Apart from her journey to stardom, her weight loss story is another thing in her life that needs applause. Paula Deen’s weight loss journey began when she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2009.
Being a popular chef, it was definitely challenging for her to stay away from exquisite meals. After all, Paula Deen’s top dishes are known for their fatty and buttery taste. However, the diagnosis came as a shock to her, which made her ditch a few eating habits of hers and incorporate new ones. But how did the chef manage to lose more than 35 lbs, and that too, without the use of Ozempic or any other weight loss drug? We’ll solve the mystery here — and not just that, from her early career to the various controversies she has been involved in, let’s get to know all about Paula Deen here!
Who Is Paula Deen?
Born in Albany, Georgia, U.S., Paula Ann Hiers, had her share of problems growing up — when she was 19, she lost her father, and four years later, she lost her mother too. Paula was 18 when she got married to Jimmy Deen and gave birth to James in 1967. The couple welcomed their second son, Robert (“Bobby”) 3 years later.
As life started getting on track for her, there was again a hiccup — in her 20s, Deen was diagnosed with depression and also dealt with agoraphobia (an anxiety disorder characterized by fear of being in crowded places where it would be difficult to escape) (1).
Due to these problems, she had to be at home most of the time, and this was the time when she found solace in cooking. She would cook for her family and began enjoying it a lot. She was highly influenced by her grandmother’s cooking style, which she referred to as “real farmhouse cooking, the kind that takes all day.”
When Paula got divorced, she tried various enterprises to support her family and finally started a catering service, named “The Bag Lady,” wherein she made lunches for office workers. This was the beginning of the making of the remarkable chef, Paula Deen!
The success of her home-based business gave Paula a new-found confidence and soon enough, she took over a restaurant in the Best Western and named it “The Lady.” She kept venturing into the restaurant business and soon opened varius restaurants named, The Lady & Sons, Paula Deen's Family Kitchen, and four casino buffets, which were rebranded in 2013 after the controversy.
Becoming a successful restaurant owner was not the end of Paula Deen’s career — it was just the beginning! In 1999, she was introduced to Gordon Elliott, a British journalist, through her friend. He took her on a city tour for a series and soon enough, Deen got an invitation to shoot a pilot episode, Afternoon Tea for Food Network. Everyone was impressed by her and she got her own show, Paula’s Home Cooking. She then presented two more shows on The Food Network, namely Paula's Party and Paula's Best Dishes.
However, things took an ugly turn in 2013, when Paula caught herself in a controversy related to racial slurs, which made The Food Network take the decision not to renew her contract again.
What happened was that Paula was sued by Lisa Jackson for racial and sexual remarks regarding African Americans. Judge William Moore threw out the suit’s racial discrimination claims but not the sexual ones. After the suit was dropped, it eventually came out that she had “of course” used the “N-word” at times.
Paula made an apology but met with harsh criticism and backlash, and was dismissed from the Food Network.
However, she quickly refurbished her career and launched the Paula Deen Channel on Roku in 2015. The same year, she appeared as one of the celebrities on “Dancing with the Stars” and paired with Louis van Amstel.
Apart from the racial remark controversy, Deen also got herself into another controversy with respect to the preparation of her meals. Christina Pirello, a popular TV chef criticized the way Deen used sugar in her recipes.
In another incidence, Paula’s book for children, Cookbook for the Lunch-Box Set received backlash from Barbara Walters, who said that it should “bother” Deen that she is asking kids to have “cheesecake” for breakfast and “chocolate cake and meatloaf” for lunch. To this, Deen replied that all things should be consumed in “moderation.” However, the backlash didn’t stop there and Anthony Bourdain, another celebrity chef, commented that as a chef, he would think twice before telling an “already obese nation” to have food that is killing us all.
Despite various controversies and roadblocks, her career is flourishing and she continues to be an inspiring chef and TV personality for all.
Besides her professional journey, her weight loss story is inspiring, too. Let’s learn more about that below.
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Paula Deen’s Weight Loss Story: How Did the Journey Begin?
All this while when Paula was all about sugary items and butter, she didn’t know what was coming for her. In 2012, she revealed that she had been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes three years ago. She was in disbelief when she heard of the diagnosis. She revealed that she “didn’t believe the doctor” at all, as diabetes is not in her genes — none of her family members had diabetes and she felt that she also didn’t have it, as they all “live the same way.” She went for multiple checkups to be sure and finally accepted the problem.
Diabetes diagnosis made her want to make some serious changes in her diet and become a healthier version of herself. For someone who is known for whipping buttery cakes and making out-of-the-world cheesy mac, it was difficult for her to give her taste buds a break and resort to healthy eating habits.
However, given the fact that she was determined to lose weight and get her life back on track, she removed various items from her kitchen shelf. Let’s learn more about her weight loss diet below:
Paula Deen’s Weight Loss Diet
The first thing that Paula did after being diagnosed with type-2 diabetes was “throwing out” everything that was “white.” She completely said no to white bread, white rice, white pasta, and white potatoes, and stayed firm with her decision not to consume these food items for at least four months, which eventually helped her lose 35 to 40 pounds. Plus, she gave up on fried foods to stay healthy.
White bread and rice are laden with unhealthy carbohydrates and are devoid of essential proteins and dietary fiber — not to forget, they have a high glycemic index, meaning, that overconsumption of these food items can contribute to weight gain (2), (3).
There are various other changes she made in her eating habits, which are mentioned below:
- She Consumes Lots of Greens
Since the time the TV personality has changed her diet, she has leveled up the amount of veggies in her diet. She stated in an interview that she has been eating more of “veggies and salads,” and she loves it.
Further, she mentioned that in the South, people eat a lot of vegetables and they help keep her appetite in check and keep sudden hunger pangs at bay. Her deep South-style cooking knowledge came to her rescue when she wanted to lose weight — she consumed lots of veggies to level up her nutrient levels.
It’s no myth that eating a meal filled with plenty of green offers plenty of health benefits — being packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, greens not only keep digestion healthy but also boost heart health by providing the body with its daily dose of antioxidants along with keeping one’s weight in check (4), (5). Not just green beans, she also includes other vegetables like cauliflower and fresh okra from her garden in her diet.
- She Consumes Unsweetened Tea
Those who have been following the celebrity chef must be aware that there was a time when she couldn’t survive without a glass of sweet tea. Paula confessed that before embarking on her health and fitness journey, she used to drink a glass of sweet tea in the morning and her obsession with sweets made her consume around one cup of sugar every day.
But knowing the harm it has done to her body, she wanted to cut back on the amounts of sugar she consumed. Hence, she replaced sweet tea with flavored, unsweetened teas. She has now become a fan of flavors like “peach, passion fruit, and lemon” and happily consumes these teas to satisfy her beverage cravings.
Read More: Gigi Hadid's Diet: The Supermodel's Favorite Healthy Foods
- Protein Is Her Best Friend
No healthy and balanced meal can be complete without the intake of protein, and being a chef, Paula knows this by heart. She always adds protein to her meals and is fond of country-style pork backbone. However, she makes sure not to consume too much of it and fills her plate with more vegetables than meat. She revealed that she consumes only a “fistful” of meat per meal. Adding a balanced proportionate of protein is a great way to make a meal more hearty and healthy. Proteins help build muscle mass and keep the stomach full for a long period of time, thereby preventing the urge to eat anything frequently (6), (7).
- She Practices Portion Control
Going on a fitness journey is highly challenging and can seem emotionally straining as well sometimes — after all, where there is no pain, there is no gain. Added to that, if one is asked to completely eliminate certain foods, it becomes even more exhausting. But that wasn’t the case with Paula Deen’s weight loss journey.
She admits that she indulges in snacks and delicious treats once in a while, but all in moderation. According to her, if she has to eat a cookie, she’ll eat one, and not “six of them” at the same time. She also eats macaroni with cheese and biscuits sometimes and then compensates for it by eating a healthy and balanced meal for the rest of the day. She also admitted consuming white flour from time to time, but just a little bit.
- She Is a Clean Swapper
As a chef, she has an abundance of knowledge about food items and what can be replaced with what. Her culinary skills and wisdom helped her not only lose weight but also maintain the lost weight. Paula’s diet food alternatives are awesome and she is able to create healthier and lighter versions of various recipes by taking the help of various food substitutes. For instance, she uses Greek yogurt instead of cream in her recipes for sauces, fillings, and desserts.
According to her, Greek yogurt is a healthier alternative to various other creamy substances such as mayonnaise, as the former is low in calories and high in protein. Science, too, backs this up — Greek yogurt contains plenty of protein and is low in calories, which makes it an ideal food to be incorporated as a part of a healthy snack (8), (9).
From Paula Deen’s dietary habits, it is clear that she kept it simple — she added lots of vegetables, salads, and fruits to her plate while eliminating junk from her diet. However, she didn’t completely ditch her favorite food items and consumes them occasionally. This way, she didn’t rob herself of tasty foods and also kept her weight in check.
Apart from dietary changes, she also took care of her workout routine to burn fat. Here’s a glimpse of her workout routine!
Paula Deen’s Fitness Routine
Just like her weight loss routine, Paula’s workout routine is also simple and includes exercises like walking and strength training (squats, specifically). Walking is a simple yet effective workout to burn fat — walking every day not only keeps weight in check but also alleviates stress (10).
Read More: How Jennifer Aniston’s Workout Routine Keeps Her in Shape at 55
Squats, on the other hand, strengthen muscles, and boost flexibility, while also aiding in weight loss management (11). This workout routine may have helped Paula lose weight and build muscles at the same time.
Paula Deen’s Before And After Weight Loss Images
Before:
(Image Source: Getty Images)
After:
(Image Source: Getty Images)
While Paula Deen could have resorted to weight loss drugs to lose weight like many other celebrities, she decided to opt for the “healthy” way to burn fat, and we can’t be anything but proud of her for this. She could have taken shortcuts but decided to make healthy changes in her diet that would fetch her results even in the long term. By cutting back on simple carbs, and sugary foods, and adding proteins and veggies to her diet along with a dedicated workout routine, she managed to lose over 35 lbs. Paula Deen’s weight loss journey is living proof that even when facing criticism and various problems, one can get back to one's life peacefully by making small amendments.
Sources
1. Agoraphobia
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554387/
2. Relationship between bread and obesity
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26148919/
3. White Potatoes, Human Health, and Dietary Guidance
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3650512/
4. Assessment of the Nutritional Value of Traditional Vegetables from Southern Chile as Potential Sources of Natural Ingredients
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8577856/
5. Nutrients and bioactives in green leafy vegetables and cognitive decline
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5772164/
6. Dietary Protein and Muscle Mass: Translating Science to Application and Health Benefit
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6566799/
7. The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25926512/
8. Effect of Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) on the Quality and Safety of Greek Yogurt
https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/11/23/3799
9. Exploring the Effects of Greek Yogurt Supplementation and Exercise Training on Serum Lithium and Its Relationship With Musculoskeletal Outcomes in Men
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8729320/
10. The multifaceted benefits of walking for healthy aging: from Blue Zones to molecular mechanisms
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10643563/
11. Effects of Body Mass-Based Squat Training in Adolescent Boys
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